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Human Cytomegalovirus Infection of Human Hepatic Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells Modulates T Cell Recruitment into the Liver

Subject Area Gastroenterology
Term from 2010 to 2013
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 193989736
 
Final Report Year 2014

Final Report Abstract

Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is associated with an increased morbidity after liver transplantation by facilitating allograft rejection and accelerating underlying hepatic inflammation. Hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (HSEC) control lymphocyte recruitment into the liver, fulfil immune regulatory functions and have been identified as targets of murine CMV and the source of latency and reactivation. We hypothesized that HCMV infection of human HSEC will modulate the ability to recruit and activate allogeneic T cells thereby providing a mechanism to explain how HCMV infection increases hepatic immune activation. We could demonstrate that HCMV infection of primary human HSEC facilitates ICAM-1 and CXCL10-dependent CD4 T cell transendothelial migration under physiological levels of shear stress. Recruited T cells were primarily CXCR3-high effector memory T cells that demonstrated features of Th1 activation after migration. In parallel, regulatory T cells were stronger recruited via infected HSEC and maintained a suppressive phenotype after migration. Our data contributed to understand how CMV infection facilitates hepatic inflammation and immune activation and may simultaneously favour CMV persistence.

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